Everything will be fine… anyway—who would doubt that? And who in the Steinmühle community would be surprised that the 5th-grade classes chose this motto for their joint musical? The event has its established place on the calendar every year, just as the school year is entering its final stretch. And by this time, there are usually no more big surprises in store. For the things that may not have gone quite as well, there’s a prospect of a solution for the next school year at this time. — Everything will be fine, after all. Anyway.
“Sowieso,” the song of the same name by Mark Forster from 2016, served as a common thread throughout the entire evening, accompanying the performance by the 86 students. And since good cheer is known to be contagious, the girls and boys in their Steinmühen T-shirts managed to spread that wave of enthusiasm to the packed auditorium. Their renditions of songs that were popular long before their time—but very familiar to the family members in the audience—helped make this happen. The program included “Let’s Twist Again,” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” and classics like “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Another Brick in the Wall.” But newer hits were also part of the program, such as “Sunroof” and Christina Stürmer’s 2015 song “Millionen Lichter,” which lent itself wonderfully to their interpretation.
The journey through the musical repertoire of past decades was halted once again by the passing “Mozart” and, in the rearview mirror, pushed even further back. The great composer arrived with the appropriate hairstyle, of course. And with a hearty quip or two. Perhaps as a reminder that music can indeed endure for centuries.
The entertaining evening, which featured even more songs, didn’t end until after an encore and in just as positive a mood as it had begun—true to the event’s motto. At the end, school principals Björn Gemmer and Bernd Holly thanked the many hardworking volunteers who, though not in the spotlight, played an essential role in making the evening run smoothly: Matthäus Otte and his team from Sound & Light, Heike Rado for decorations and posters, and the team of parents who were responsible for makeup and costumes. A huge thank you, of course, went first and foremost to the music department, including “Mrs. Musical” Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, Daniel Sans, the musical band led by and featuring Frank Wemme, and Anna Prokop for their organizational efforts and musical support.
